1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermoelectric generator module, and more particularly, to a hybrid thermoelectric generator module having a three-dimensional (stereoscopic) structure in which an electrical signal is transferred horizontally by module unit bodies which are in series connected to each other on a plane, and heat is transferred vertically from a common electrode to a first electrode and a second electrode
2. Description of Related Art
In general, thermoelectric effect means a reversible and direct energy conversion between heat and electricity. The thermoelectric effect is classified into the Peltier effect which is applied to a cooling field using a temperature difference between both ends of a material formed by a current applied from the outside, and the Seebeck effect which is applied to a power generation field using an electromotive force generated from a temperature difference between both ends of a material.
Thermoelectric cooling employing the Peltier effect is a vibration-free and low-noise eco-friendly cooling technology which does not make use of a refrigerant gas causing environmental problems, and application areas can be widen to a general-purpose cooling field including a refrigerator, an air conditioner or the like through the development of a high-efficiency thermoelectric cooling material.
Also, in the case of a thermoelectric power generation technology employing the Seebeck effect, if a thermoelectric material is applied to heat dissipating equipment or a relevant section in an automobile engine, an industrial plant or the like, power generation can be performed by a temperature difference between both ends of the material. In spacecrafts for remote planets in which the use of a solar energy is impossible, such a thermoelectric power generation system is already in operation.
The thermoelectric generator module is a circuit in which p-type or n-type conductors or semiconductors are electrically connected with each other end to end so that current is caused to flow by means of a thermo-electromotive force generated when one side of the module is used as a hot source and the other side of the module is used as a cold source,
Currently, the development of a thermoelectric generator module using nanowires is in progress to achieve the compactness of such a thermoelectric generator module. An example of this technology is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 1249292 (registered on Mar. 26, 2013, and hereinafter, referred to as ‘prior art 1’) entitled “Thermoelectric Device, Thermoelectric Device Module, and Method of Forming the Thermoelectric Device”.
The thermoelectric device of the prior art 1 includes: a semiconductor nanowire of a first conductivity type including at least one first barrier region; a semiconductor nanowire of a second conductivity type including at least one second barrier region; a first electrode connected to one end of the first conductivity type semiconductor nanowire; a second electrode connected to one end of the second conductivity type semiconductor nanowire; and a common electrode connected to the other end of the first conductivity type semiconductor nanoparticle and the other end of the second conductivity type semiconductor nanoparticle.
A thermoelectric device module including the thermoelectric device of the prior art 1 is configured such that the first conductivity type semiconductor nanowire and the second first conductivity type semiconductor nanowire serve as bridges which interconnect the first electrode, the second electrode, and the common electrode. Such a bridge forming structure has a limitation in improving the performance and the degree of freedom of design of the thermoelectric device module in that the manufacturing process is made complicated as well as only the manufacture of an alternative structure is permitted.
In addition, as an example of a method of manufacturing a thermoelectric device using nanowires, there is disclosed Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2012-71254 (laid-open on Jul. 2, 2012, and hereinafter, referred to as ‘prior art 2’) entitled “Thermoelectric Device and Method of Manufacturing the Same.
The manufacturing method of a thermoelectric device of the prior art 2 includes: a structuring forming step of depositing and patterning a semiconductor layer on a substrate to form a first nanowire pattern, a second nanowire pattern, a low-temperature section, and a high-temperature section; a nanowire forming step of ion-injecting a first conductivity type material and a second conductivity type material into the first nanowire pattern and the second nanowire pattern, respectively, to form a first nanowire and a second nanowire; an insulation layer forming step of depositing and patterning an insulation material on the entire surface of the substrate to form an insulation layer on the first nanowire and the second nanowire; a first metal layer forming step of depositing and patterning a metal material on the entire surface of the substrate to form a first metal layer on the insulation layer on the first nanowire; and a second metal layer forming step of depositing and patterning a metal material on the entire surface of the substrate to form a second metal layer on the insulation layer on the second nanowire.
However, the prior art 2 also entails a problem in that since various steps are required which include the pattern formation, the insulation layer formation, the metal layer formation, and the like in order to form the first nanowire and the second nanowire, the manufacturing process is complicated, and there is a limitation in the increase in the performance of the thermoelectric device module similarly to the prior art 1. In addition, the manufacturing method of a thermoelectric device of the prior art 2 is a manufacturing method employing an alternative structure, and thus a problem is caused in that the degree of freedom of design of the thermoelectric device module is decreased.